Lucius Finds Out
It had now been three weeks since the Lestrange's masquerade ball and soon after Voldemort had disappeared again, presumably hunting Lysha Drevei. I looked around the empty house dismayed, hoping that Voldemort would be sitting by the fire waiting for me. I strode though the tiny entrance hall and in to the cramped living room. I sat down on a chair looking dejected, Voldemort's absence was unnerving. His dark figure had been a constant presence by my side for the past sixteen years and now he was gone for weeks at a time. His obsession with become immortal was fast taking over every aspect of his life.
"My Lord, where are you?" I wondered out loud to the empty room, not expecting a reply. A loud crack suddenly shattered the silence, as the tall, dark figure of Voldemort appeared.
"Blair, what is it?" he questioned as he sat down opposite me, "I sensed you needed me."
"No, my Lord, I was just curious about your trip and whether you had as much success as last time."
"You have not caught me in a good mood. I managed to track down Lysha Drevei and I requested she further my knowledge of the Dark Arts." He paused, clearly distressed.
"Yes, my Lord?" I pressed, leaning forward in my seat.
"She said no." he said flatly.
"No?" I said incredulously, "Did she give a reason?"
Voldemort stood up and began to pace the room, "No reason at all, just no."
"My Lord, you must not give up." I encouraged, "You will get her to change her mind, and she will see how worthy you are of this knowledge."
"Yes, my Blair," he responded, his expression softening as he watched me, "I have not yet given up. However, there is something of greater importance that needs to be taken care of immediately." I looked up curiously,
"My Lord?"
"The Ministry of Magic is tracking us," he stated calmly, "I sensed several unwelcome minds in the nearby towns. We are going to have to relocate."
"Where to, my Lord?"
"Everyone is to go back to their homes. We will regroup at a later time."
"Yes, my Lord, I will notify everyone immediately." I stood and walked to the door.
"Blair," I turned around to face him, "Bring Malfoy to me, there is something I need to discuss with him."
My eyes widened as the memories of the night of the ball flooded into my head. Voldemort saw these immediately.
"No Blair, had I wanted to punish him, he would be dead by now." He said bluntly. A hot blush crept up my cheeks.
"Yes, my Lord, he will be here shortly." Voldemort laughed softly, at my retreating back. I turned out of the cottage and into the harsh wind that was blustering outside. The warm sunlight above the dense trees, sneaking through some of the empty branches, sent scatterings of light on my path as I made my way across the gathering area to find Lucius.
I scanned the clearing and found Lucius talking to Rodolphus; I smiled inwardly as I strode over to them. Not noticing me, they continued talking. I stepped closer to Lucius and whispered in his ear,
"Good afternoon Lucius."
A slight blush crept into my cheeks as he wrapped his arms around my waist,
"Good afternoon to you as well Blair. To what do I owe this lovely surprise?"
"A smile," I teased, "A rare sight on the face of Lucius Malfoy." We had forgotten that Rodolphus was still standing there, wide-eyed at the sight before him.
"The two most unlikely people I would ever see being nice." A smirk spread across his face. "Spare me the torture; I will talk to you both later." And with that he marched away shaking his head.
"Come back for more, Blair?" he asked arrogantly, I allowed a small smile.
"Not now, Lucius." I said slyly, looking up into his hard grey eyes. "You have more important things to attend to."
"You?" he repeated, "Do you not mean, we?"
"Not unless I have misinterpreted Lord Voldemort's request."
"The Dark Lord?" he restated, "What does he wish of me?"
"You are to go and see him in the cottage. He did not give a reason, nor does he need to, Lucius" I smiled wickedly.
"Alright, see you later." He leaned in to kiss me as I slid out of his hold, so his lips brushed my hair.
"Have fun." I said sarcastically as I walked off into the shadows, leaving Lucius to make his own way to Voldemort.
Instantly at the cottage door, a sense of foreboding filled him as he reached to knock
"I hope I will not be punished for my interactions with Blair." He thought to himself.
"No Lucius, my friend, you are not being punished." A cold voice resonated. "There is something I wish to discuss with you. Enter."
Lucius opened the door and stepped inside with caution. He guessed that the Dark Lord's request had something to do with his relationship with Blair.
"Yes Lucius, you have guessed correctly." Voldemort commented, reading his thoughts. "Sit down." He gestured to the seat opposite him. Lucius gently eased himself down.
"My Lord what do you require of me?" he asked, wondering what this had to do with Blair.
"Well, Lucius, you may be interested to know that we are going to have to relocate temporarily. The blundering fools from the Ministry of Magic are closing in our position."
"I see." Then Lucius' brow creased with confusion. "But my Lord, I do not understand what this has to do with me or Blair." Voldemort laughed softly,
"Yes, well, you wouldn't already be aware of this, but usually where I go, Blair goes. She keeps me company, and it is beneficial for her as she has nowhere else to go. Her old house, the Gaunt Manor, is being watched by Ministry fools who believe her to be in my service. She cannot risk going there without avoiding imprisonment." Voldemort paused. "I have brought you here to ask if she could reside with you until we can regroup.'
Lucius' eyes widened in surprise, but then a smile spread across his face, "Yes, my Lord, that would be acceptable. And if I may ask, why is she not able to stay with you this time?"
"It is unimportant to you Lucius. I require solitude when carrying out this task, she would be a hindrance." Lucius shifted in his seat uncomfortably,
"I understand, my Lord. Blair is more than welcome to share my home." Voldemort peered intently at Lucius for a few moments,
"Blair has made a fine choice, Lucius. I wonder, has she told you what I have requested of her?"
Lucius smiled inwardly. He knew she wanted him, but she would never admit that. The Dark Lord probably pried the thoughts from her head.
"Yes, I read her thoughts about you Lucius, particularly after the masquerade ball. She was very evasive of my questions though."
Lucius smiled to himself, he finally seemed to have penetrated the cold wall that surrounds Blair. "My Lord, she has not said anything to me in regards to your request." Voldemort laughed in a low hiss,
"Lucius Malfoy, you are about to be the only other person besides Blair, who knows about my plans. I want you to understand now that if my trust in you is betrayed. You will die."
"Yes my Lord, you have my word."
"I am on a quest to secure my immortality. I have discovered a way, which you do not need to know, however I need a back-up plan to secure my power incase I fail." Voldemort paused, stood up and moved to the window. "This plan requires me to have an heir, who can inherit my power."
"My Lord, what does this have to do with either Blair or myself?" Lucius questioned.
"I need Blair to have a child, Slytherin's blood flows through her veins as it does mine. I have asked her to have this child so that it will take on her husband's name, further hiding its connection to me. It will be harder to keep from the ministry if I am the father. Besides, I would not have a child with Blair because we are too closely related, cousins in fact and she is my friend and I care for her like a sister." He said bluntly, "It seems though, she is quite taken with you." A smile curled into the corner of his mouth.
"Blair never mentioned this to me." he said, disappointment edging into his voice. "I do not like being-"
"She is not using you Malfoy!" Voldemort cut in sharply. "I forbade her to mention this to anyone. And I have not been able to ascertain her thoughts on the plan, as she has effectively hid these from me." Lucius sat back in his chair, his mind swimming with conflicting emotions. Blair deeply attracted him, and he was sure she felt the same. Thoughts of whether she had the Dark Lord's request on her mind when they danced, or when they kissed, crossed his mind. He shook the thought from his head, if the Dark Lord said she wouldn't use him then he trusted his judgement.
Lucius stood to leave,
"Do not let what I have told you affect the way you treat Blair. She needs your support in this. Remember, if you cross her you cross me." he warned, smiling coldly towards Lucius.
"No, my Lord, I understand. I will talk to her."
Voldemort turned his back on Lucius, leaving him to his own thoughts. Lucius leaned against the door as he stepped outside and sighed deeply. The thought that the Dark Lord's plan was her motivation for being with him disturbed him greatly. He shook his head of that thought and strode off to find Blair.
I sighed contentedly as I curled up in my chair reading Potent Poisons by Gregory Sedgwick. I rarely got time to myself anymore and reading up on ways to poison unsuspecting mudbloods and blood traitors always relaxed me. A slight gust of wind rustled the pages; I glanced sharply towards the source and found Lucius standing in the doorway his arms folded across his chest.
"What a pleasant surprise, Lucius!" I uttered sweetly.
"Pleasant indeed!" Lucius huffed as he strode across the tent and elegantly placed himself in the armchair across from mine. My brow furrowed in confusion at his behaviour.
"Lucius? What is the matter?" He shot me a derisive look,
"I just came from a meeting with the Dark Lord and you ask, what is the matter?" Something niggled in the back of my mind and I did not like it. Something was wrong.
"Yes I did! Can you answer the question?" I shot back defensively. He looked at me a moment before replying,
"The Dark Lord has said that you are to stay with me at my home in Wiltshire, until we can regroup." I slid off my chair and kneeled in front of Lucius, placing my hand on his robed knee.
"Is that… bad?" I asked innocently, my eyes dancing suggestively as they bored into his own. I felt his leg quiver under my soft touch, the corners of his mouth twitched upwards.
"Well, I guess it would be… tolerable." He said, failing to hide the amusement in his voice. I let out a small laugh,
"I will make sure it is more than that." I whispered letting my hand inch further up his leg. He pushed my hand away and stepped over to the window, sighing deeply as he leant against the window frame.
"Blair, the Dark Lord also mentioned something else." He spoke quietly.
"What did he say?" I asked apprehensively, wondering what could be upsetting him so.
Lucius ran a hand through his platinum hair in frustration before continuing,
"He described his plans to me," he paused, turning to face me, "and your part in them." He crossed his arms over his chest and stared at me. I inhaled sharply; this was not the way I would have wanted him to find out.
"Oh did he? I suppose he also saw fit to mention my interest in you?" I offered casually, hiding the tension that was building up within me. I rose to meet his cold steely eyes.
"Your interest in me? Is that all I am here for? Did the thought not occur to you at any point that it might have been prudent to let me in on this little plan of yours?" Agitation and sadness etched in his handsome features.
"My plan? Do you think I want to have a child because the Dark Lord asked me to? I am insulted that you think so little of me Lucius, I may be harsh on the exterior but I am not made of ice, I would never take advantage of the people I care about!" I hollered the last sentence, on the verge of hysterics. I could not fathom Lucius being so narrow-minded and selfish.
"The Dark Lord said that…" Lucius mumbled, his previous fury vanishing in the face of my distress.
"Said what?" I spat, stalking around the chair to stand in front of him.
"That you would not use me." His usually powerful and suave voice was disintegrating by the second as he averted his eyes to the silver buckle on his polished boots.
"He did, did he!" I exploded, "Obviously you saw fit not to trust in his judgment, one who is not only your intellectual and magical superior but one who has known me since we were eleven!" I took a deep breath trying to steady my nerves. Lucius opened his mouth to speak and I cut him off.
"Do not interrupt me, Malfoy!" I hissed, he openly cringed at my reversion to his last name, "You really have no idea do you? No idea in the world… ignorant fool." I turned away and walked to the door, with the intention of leaving, when Lucius managed to find his voice,
"About what?" he called out to me, "What do I not know?" His cold eyes betraying his bewilderment.
"About how much you mean to me!" I shrieked. His eyes widened as he stared incredulously at me. What ever it was that he expected me to say, that was not it.
"What?" he asked, needing assurance of what I had declared.
"I can not get you out of my mind! You haunt my dreams and render me weak at the slightest smirk or whisper! I have fallen hard for you, only to have you pick me up and slam me against the ground!" Any inkling of romance in my exclamation disappeared as my anger boiled over. "You have no idea of the inconvenience of discovering our Lord's plans for me and seeing you for the first time! You have no idea of the restricting feeling in my chest whenever you kissed me or touched me because it would always remind me of what the Dark Lord expected of me!" During my tirade I had slowly inched towards Lucius, now standing directly in front of him. I slammed my fist into his chest and continued shouting. "I could not bring myself to tell you of what I had to do! I feared you would leave me!" I collapsed sobbing into his chest as he wrapped his arms around me, "I can not do this to you Lucius, I can not…" I ripped my self out of his grip and flew out the door, wiping furiously at my eyes and hurling hexes at anyone who crossed my path. Lucius slid down into the armchair and place his head in his hands, still trying to absorb what I had shot at him. He silently cursed himself for his stupidity. With that, he swept out of my tent and stalked off towards his own.